Merredin

Agricultural Region

Very Safe National 22.5%

MP

Brendon Grylls (NAT) since a 2001 by-election.

Profile

Vast wheatbelt seat covering 73,549 sq.km in the Agricultural region, with major population centres at Merredin, Corrigin, Kellerberrin, Quairading, Bruce Rock, Hyden, Cunderdin, Wongan Hills, Dalwallinu and Perenjori. An electorate with a declining population base, local electoral enrolment has fallen 4.28% over the past two and a half years.

Redistribution

Shifts northward, gaining the shires of Goomalling, Wongan-Ballidu and Perenjori from Moore while losing the rest of Yilgarn Shire to Murchison-Eyre. However, Merredin remains a solid National Party seat, the margin falling from 22.9% to a still imposing 22.5%.

History/Trivia

Merredin was represented from 1977 until 2001 by Hendy Cowan, the man who managed to re-build the National Party in the early 1980s, leading it back into Coalition with the Liberal Party ahead of the change of government in 1993. Cowan served as Deputy Premier 1993-2001 and resigned from the WA Parliament to contest the 2001 Senate election. Despite a strong Liberal challenge, the National Party retained this seat at a November 2001 by-election. From 1950-77, the seat had been known as Merredin-Yilgarn, which Cowan represented 1974-77. One Nation polled 20.3% of the vote in 2001 and finished second to Cowan.

2-Party Booth Result

Labor recorded narrow majorities in two booths in the town of Merredin, but the National Party recorded two-party majorities in the remaining 44 booths, above 80% in 16 and 90% in five. No Labor votes were recorded at Ejanding Primary School, though that tiny booth of just 25 votes has been abolished for the 2005 election.

Main Candidates

At the 2001 by-election, the National Party's Brendon Grylls defeated a strong challenge from the Liberal Party. Grylls runs a diversified wheat farm near Corrigin, and also has interests in other local ventures connected with the tourist industry. His main opponent is the Liberal Party's Jamie Falls, who runs the 'Old Convent' bed and breakfast in Dalwallinu and is a former President of Dalwallinu Shire. Somewhat controversially, Falls was also the One Nation candidate at the 2001 Merredin by-election election.